11:47 PM
Hey! The Automated Gypsy Fortune Teller shown by Lileks in today's Bleat is the one at the left upper entrance of the State Fair Penny Arcade, where I worked for several years (as did my father before me--and my sister concurrently.)

I remember showing up to help set up for a day before the Fair began one year, and opening the big garage doors to reveal all the old '50s-vintage bomber games and skeeball lanes that had lain dormant since last year. There she was, right inside the door, where she hat sat since someone turned off the power the year before. And, as Lileks notes, likely since the time my dad worked at the arcade. And likely until the time my kid works there. I'm surprised to see a button from this century on her sweater--I would have put hard money on whether or not in the last couple years anybody ever opened that case to even clean her, let alone add new accessories.

At home, somewhere, I have one of the fortunes she would spit out. I'll see if I can find it and scan it in. If not, I have a great story related to one of the other fortune telling machines at the Arcade.

Ah, the Fair. I may have to go when I'm up in the Cities next weekend...